Upcoming chamber orchestra schedule a global affair

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This article was published 29/03/2023 (1268 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Soloists from three continents will join the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra during its 2023-24 season.

Among those representing North America will be American pianist Awadagin Pratt, who is a professor at the University of Cincinnati and has performed twice at the White House as well as the children’s television show Sesame Street, among his many accolades.

Pratt will perform a Bach concerto with the MCO, led by conductor Anne Manson, Sept. 6 at the Crescent Arts Centre, the MCO’s home next season while its usual space, Westminster United Church undergoes roof repairs.

MCO’s original plan was to have Pratt perform in a two-piano concert with fellow American Simone Dinnerstein, who along with the MCO premiered Philip Glass’s Concerto No. 3 in 2018, but the Crescent Arts Centre has room for only one grand piano.

“We thought we should introduce Awadagin to our audience like we have Simone,” Vicki Young, the MCO’s executive director says.

Venezuelan soprano Maria Brea, who has sung at Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Opera and the Palais Garnier in Paris, will join the MCO March 27, 2024 for an evening of works by Mozart, Haydn and Cuban-American composer Odaline de la Martinez.

The MCO describes Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, a 19-year-old British pianist from Nottingham who has performed on the BBC and at the BAFTAs, as someone to see before she becomes a global sensation. She performs April 10, 2024.

Canada and Winnipeg are also well-represented on the 2023-24 schedule. B.C. violinist Timothy Chooi, a favourite among MCO fans, returns to the MCO, returns Oct. 4; composer-pianist Dinuk Wijeratne will conduct and perform Gajaga Vannama, a blend of Sri Lankan music with Mozart influences, Oct. 25 and cellist Ariel Barnes will perform a new concerto composed by Winnipeg’s Glenn Buhr on Nov. 9.

Soprano Lara Secord-Haid, a grad of Juilliard’s master’s program and another of Winnipeg’s remarkable line of operatic talents, will kick off the MCO’s spring 2024 program March 20, 2024.

The city has become a bit of a goldmine of opera singers, and Secord-Haid was one of seven singers showcased in a November 2022 concert The Sopranos of Winnipeg.

“Isn’t it wonderful there is so much great talent in this city,” Young says. “We export a lot of talent yet they continue to live in our city.”

Desiree Abbey, the MCO’s principal cellist, takes centre stage April 17, 2024, premiering a cello concerto written for her by Jamaican-Canadian Ted Runcie.

The season ends May 29, 2024 with two performances by Sarah McElravy, an Ontario violinist and violist who founded and is the artistic director of the Chamber Music Society Mexico, in Mexico City.

Earlybird subscriptions, which offer a 25 per cent discount from single tickets, are on sale until June 15 at themco.ca or by phoning 204-783-7377.

Alan.Small@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @AlanDSmall